Zelenskyy's impassioned plea

Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY
·5 min read
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to Congress. An earthquake rattled Japan, triggering a tsunami alert. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in a while to fight inflation – and it's just getting started.

👋 Laura here with all the news you need to know Wednesday.

But first, this costumed Kiss fan in New York blasted music while he cleared snow from his street. Here's what Gene Simmons had to say about it. 🎸

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Zelenskyy addresses Congress

Three weeks into his nation's fierce struggle to repel invading Russian troops, Zelenskyy gave an impassioned address to an overwhelmingly supportive Congress, pleading for more military support, a no-fly zone over his country and even tougher sanctions on Russia. As he called on the U.S. to ramp up its aid to Ukraine, Zelenskyy played a gripping video showing graphic images of the brutal human and property damage inflicted by the Russians as the invading forces continued their relentless attack. "Right now, the destiny of our country is being decided, the destiny of our people," said Zelenskyy, who drew a standing ovation from Congress at the start of his speech from Kyiv. "Whether Ukrainians will be free, whether they will be able to preserve their democracy."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers a virtual address to Congress.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers a virtual address to Congress.

Fed hikes interest rates for first time in 3 years

The COVID-19-induced era of rock-bottom interest rates is over – just as the U.S. finally seems to be turning the corner on the pandemic. Yet while falling coronavirus cases and solid consumer demand are helping clear the way for higher rates, the Fed is taking aim at the pandemic’s stubborn economic legacy: soaring inflation. Moving to curtail a historic surge in consumer prices, the Fed raised its key short-term interest rate Wednesday – by a quarter-percentage point – for the first time in more than three years. And there's more to come: the Fed forecast six more hikes before the end of the year.

What everyone's talking about

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US sending $800M in military aid to help 'fend off Russia's assault'

President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that an additional $800 million in military aid will be sent to Ukraine, just hours after Zelenskyy's address to the U.S. Congress. Biden said the war in Ukraine is "a struggle that pits the appetites of an autocrat against humankind’s desire to be free." On a day when he called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal'' for the first time publicly, Biden also stressed the U.S. will not get involved militarily but added it will help Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Damage caused by shelling at a cafe, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Saturday.
Damage caused by shelling at a cafe, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Saturday.

Earthquake rattles Japan

A strong 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook Wednesday off the coast near Fukushima, Japan, the site of a nuclear disaster in 2011, prompting a tsunami alert and knocking out power to more than 2 million across the country. The U.S. National Weather Service said while there is no threat of a tsunami for the U.S. West Coast, British Columbia, or Alaska, hazardous tsunami waves remained possible within 186 miles of the quake's epicenter near Japan. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake struck 36 miles below the sea. The quake shook large parts of eastern Japan, including Tokyo, where buildings shook violently. The quake hit at 10:36 a.m. EDT, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Furniture and electrical appliance are scattered at an apartment in Fukushima, northern Japan Wednesday, March 16, 2022, following an earthquake. A powerful earthquake shook off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami advisory.
Furniture and electrical appliance are scattered at an apartment in Fukushima, northern Japan Wednesday, March 16, 2022, following an earthquake. A powerful earthquake shook off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami advisory.

Real quick

'Little Miss Nobody' no more

The little girl's name, the one she has been known by for the past 61 years, is hard to even say. Her body was found in the Arizona desert on July 31, 1960. She wore a blue buttoned blouse and shorts, and on her small feet were adult flip flops that had been cut to size. But because her name, her race, and even her exact age could not be discerned, she became known as Little Miss Nobody. Over the years, the mystery of who she was and how she died has waxed and waned, but on Tuesday morning, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office announced the little girl would be Little Miss Nobody no more. "I hope we never hear that name again," Sheriff David Rhodes said. Using fresh DNA analysis, authorities concluded they had definitively identified the girl as Sharon Lee Gallegos. Sharon was abducted from her grandmother's home in Alamogordo, New Mexico, when she was 4 years old.

Ray Chavez, the nephew of a little girl dubbed "Little Miss Nobody" who was recently identified, speaks during a news conference in Prescott, Ariz., on Tuesday. The Yavapai County Sheriff's office said the previously unidentified little girl whose burned remains were found more than 60 years earlier in the Arizona desert was 4-year-old Sharon Lee Gallegos, of New Mexico. The child's remains were found on July 31, 1960, partially buried in a wash in Congress.

A break from the news

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Little Miss Nobody,' Zelenskyy, Federal Reserve, Japan earthquake. It's Wednesday's news.